Otago HSFY chat - archive

[Cathay]

hey thanks cathay! Which hall are u living in?

Long story, short answer: none of them.

How well are you doing in hell sci?

Well enough, I guess.

I've seen posts on the text books being useless, so i am still not sure if i should buy it or not...

That differs between papers. For papers that have useful textbooks, you should arrange to have easy access to them. For the not-really-essential ones, it depends if the "feel good" factor justifies the cost, really
Textbooks I'd recommend:
HUBS textbook - most lecture slide tables, pictures, and what not are taken out of the textbook, and pictures are always good for anatomy
HEAL textbook - explains concepts, is heavily referred to and relied on by HEAL192
PHSI textbook - written by PHSI191 staff for PHSI191, essential for blackboard tests, but depending on your aptitude for physics it may or may not be entirely necessary to have your own
Less useful:
CHEM textbook - written by one of the lecturers, and is helpful if you need it, but CHEM gives summary notes, not as good as BIOC, but they'll do
CELS textbook - CELS readings are often excessive, and not as essential
Practically useless:
BIOC textbook - BIOC192 gives wonderful booklets with pretty much all the information you'll get from the textbook, and then some, between these and the lecture slides, there isn't much reason to ever pick up the textbook. My copy has never been opened, and has been sitting on a shelf collecting dust.

Still, if having the textbook on a shelf collecting dust makes you feel better, to the point where it justifies the >$100, there's nothing to stop you from getting it.

should i buy those umat prep papers that cost 600 bucks and do them during the summer holidays? I didn't take umat this year, which i really regret about, but if 600 bucks can get me into med then i'd invest it for sure..what do you think?

Everyone finds UMAT a slightly different experience. For some, minimal preparation doesn't impede them from getting fairly high scores, while others find it difficult, with or without preparation. It's not as simple as "spend $600, get into med" - there's no evidence to suggest that doing the preps even leads to an improvement in performance, and in any case, UMAT alone will neither get you into med instantly nor bar you from getting into med, it is your HSFY grades that is ultimately worth much more.

Do i need to pass ncea level 3 english to get accepted into Otago?

No. For instance, I didn't even do Level 3 English.

 

[studyinghardatm]

Long story, short answer: none of them.

Well enough, I guess.

That differs between papers. For papers that have useful textbooks, you should arrange to have easy access to them. For the not-really-essential ones, it depends if the "feel good" factor justifies the cost, really
Textbooks I'd recommend:
HUBS textbook - most lecture slide tables, pictures, and what not are taken out of the textbook, and pictures are always good for anatomy
HEAL textbook - explains concepts, is heavily referred to and relied on by HEAL192
PHSI textbook - written by PHSI191 staff for PHSI191, essential for blackboard tests, but depending on your aptitude for physics it may or may not be entirely necessary to have your own
Less useful:
CHEM textbook - written by one of the lecturers, and is helpful if you need it, but CHEM gives summary notes, not as good as BIOC, but they'll do
CELS textbook - CELS readings are often excessive, and not as essential
Practically useless:
BIOC textbook - BIOC192 gives wonderful booklets with pretty much all the information you'll get from the textbook, and then some, between these and the lecture slides, there isn't much reason to ever pick up the textbook. My copy has never been opened, and has been sitting on a shelf collecting dust.

Still, if having the textbook on a shelf collecting dust makes you feel better, to the point where it justifies the >$100, there's nothing to stop you from getting it.

Everyone finds UMAT a slightly different experience. For some, minimal preparation doesn't impede them from getting fairly high scores, while others find it difficult, with or without preparation. It's not as simple as "spend $600, get into med" - there's no evidence to suggest that doing the preps even leads to an improvement in performance, and in any case, UMAT alone will neither get you into med instantly nor bar you from getting into med, it is your HSFY grades that is ultimately worth much more.

No. For instance, I didn't even do Level 3 English.

Thank you very much!!! I wonder if i will have a chance to meet you in person next year haha dunedin's a small town isn't it

 

[studyinghardatm]

We cannot discuss UMAT prep courses or papers on MSO, but as it has been said, have a look around for good preparation guides.
Here is a start for you: https://www.medstudentsonline.com.a...s!)-Tips-Techniques-and-Recommended-Materials
Good luck!

o ok sorry i'm new here lol, GREAT FORUM! Cheers

 

[Caesar]

Can anyone tell me if there's a thread I'm too blind too see that sort of summarises what all the halls are like? I know that it doesn't make a difference in terms of grades, that's all on the student, but in terms of food, warmth, staff, tradition, size of rooms, things like that?
It's just I'm super nervous/excited about everything.
Also, in people's opinions, does being 20 when I start uni make me a "mature" student? Technically I guess it does, but would it make a difference that I'm 2 years older than everyone else?

And this is a big question: If I'm serious about getting into med, will I have time to go out and have fun? (or stay in and play minecraft, you know, whatevs XD)
I'm really keen to make new friends and get into the whole uni life thing, but worried it might end up being my downfall.

 

[Cathay]

Can anyone tell me if there's a thread I'm too blind too see that sort of summarises what all the halls are like? I know that it doesn't make a difference in terms of grades, that's all on the student, but in terms of food, warmth, staff, tradition, size of rooms, things like that?

Don't think there is one on here... Hayward's got the biggest rooms, I'm pretty sure.

And this is a big question: If I'm serious about getting into med, will I have time to go out and have fun? (or stay in and play minecraft, you know, whatevs XD)

I'm just gonna rant on a bit, this is more for everyone's information and less directed at you.

I'll be honest, if you want to go out but don't because you think you should be studying, and there's more than a week till exams or more than 3 days till the next test, you are being obsessed with HSFY to an unhealthy extent, and no, that's not the same as being serious about med.

HSFY isn't meant to take over your life regardless of whether you're serious about med, full stop.

There are two reasons someone in HSFY doesn't go out: 1, they're introverts, socializing is exhausting for them, and their idea of fun isn't going out (I know because I'm one of them), and they might say they're studying (or not - even if you tell people you weren't studying they'll think you're lying) but are probably just in their rooms playing games on their computers; 2, they've fallen into the trap of thinking they must not take a break at any time or they'll in some unknown way compromise their chances at med, and are therefore experiencing an unhealthy obsession with HSFY.

Note that neither of the above reasons implicate being serious about med.

Being serious about getting into med is not about excessive studying. Being serious about getting into med is about having the drive to succeed, and doing the right things to accomplish that. It's about getting to know what you need to do (and doing them); it's about working out how you learn best, and optimising your technique; it's about being self-aware, knowing your strengths and weaknesses. To sum it up, it's about having good judgement over when you need to study, what you need to study, where you need to study, and how you need to study.

An often-ignored part of studying is effectiveness. There are some who believe more must be better, but like all good things in life (whether it be ice cream, KFC, alcohol, vegetables, or sleep) there is a balance - more is not necessarily better. It is quite possible to schedule yourself for a full day of studying, and getting about halfway through it before the information stops going into your brain. If you've tried taking a short break, and it's still not coming to you, continuing would be pointless at best. If you take the afternoon off and play some games or watch a movie, you'll come back tomorrow refreshed and ready to learn, but if you keep going, not only will the material not make sense (because your brain has switched off), you'll also stress yourself out because you've spent a lot more time on it, and all of a sudden you feel like you actually need to be studying all the time.

I'll quote from the VARK site: "A learning style has 18+ dimensions (such as preferences for temperature, light, food intake, biorhythms, working with others, working alone)." Ponder that...

 

[Ben]

Also, in people's opinions, does being 20 when I start uni make me a "mature" student? Technically I guess it does, but would it make a difference that I'm 2 years older than everyone else?

I think the term "mature student" is more regarding people who have pretty much lived life for ~10+ years and then decided that studying medicine might be for them, or maybe even some post-graduate students (you'd be in your final year of a minimum 3 year course so this doesn't apply to you either) - rather than being 20, you'll blend right in tbh.

[offtopic]

Can anyone tell me if there's a thread I'm too blind too see that sort of summarises what all the halls are like? I know that it doesn't make a difference in terms of grades, that's all on the student, but in terms of food, warmth, staff, tradition, size of rooms, things like that?

Looking for existing specific threads? Aware of the reality that is halls? You are my favourite potential HSFY 2012, be proud![/offtopic]

 

[Caesar]

Cheers guys Thanks for the advice etc.

Hey just out of noob curiousity how do I do those @[username here] things?

 

[SeeKay]

I think it does it automatically

@Jubs

EDIT: Yeah I just tested it out lol

 

[Nimbus2000]

What sort of ATAR do i need to get into the MBBS entry HSFY?

Hi guys,

Just wondering, does anybody know what sort of ATAR is required to get into Otago HSFY (as part of the cohort wanting to get into medicine the next year) and how willing they are to give offers to students not in New Zealand - I am a NZer, but I'm just living in/studying in Aus... don't have Aus citizenship/ permanent residency, I am NZ citizen ?
Btw, I'm sorry if this question has been asked, I was going to go through and manually search, but there are like 143 pages in this thread!!! So I would greatly appreciate it anyone could answer this question!

 

[skyglow1]

Congrats to this year's HSFYers for completing the course. Have a great holiday guys.

 

[Deleted member 4350]

Congrats everyone on finishing the relentless process that is HSFY. Savour every second of your holiday and try your best to forget about the impending offers in December!

You deserve it.

 

[aaa24]

Its over! Zomg. Already . Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

 

[Cathay]

Just wondering, does anybody know what sort of ATAR is required to get into Otago HSFY (as part of the cohort wanting to get into medicine the next year) and how willing they are to give offers to students not in New Zealand - I am a NZer, but I'm just living in/studying in Aus... don't have Aus citizenship/ permanent residency, I am NZ citizen ?

Look here.
ATAR absolutely required to get into HSFY: 74.
ATAR required for guarenteed entry: 80.
How willing are they to give offers to students from Australia? Very.

Why is it so low? Because HSFY isn't med. It isn't really pre-med, either. HSFY is technically part of a BSc, and is essentially open entry for everyone to have a go. If you want med, however, be prepared to shove 1200 people out of your way by acing exams, seriously, acing them - depending on your UMAT you will need an average grade between 85% (for those with 95+ percentile) and 95% (for those with <30 percentile).

For your information:
1, there is a search thread tool, but that's not important because this is the 2011 thread and wouldn't have dealt with Australians, I don't think.
2, 143 threads isn't much... There used to be >300 pages of HSFY threads which we've now archived (ON TOP of this 143)
3, Do have a look at the actual university website...

 

[frootloop]

Hi guys,

Just wondering, does anybody know what sort of ATAR is required to get into Otago HSFY (as part of the cohort wanting to get into medicine the next year) and how willing they are to give offers to students not in New Zealand - I am a NZer, but I'm just living in/studying in Aus... don't have Aus citizenship/ permanent residency, I am NZ citizen ?
Btw, I'm sorry if this question has been asked, I was going to go through and manually search, but there are like 143 pages in this thread!!! So I would greatly appreciate it anyone could answer this question!

The ATAR is like 80, I've heard ([MENTION=5392]sid_kudav[/MENTION] will know, he's an Aussie).
By the way.... HSFY IS OVER!!!! I is so happy.

 

[Nimbus2000]

@cathay808 , thanks for that yep lol I will look, I was just hoping someone would be able to sum it up for me now, I was planning to do all the research after my hsc finishes, so yea... sorry to be a bother! :/
@frootloop , thanks for that!
On a general note - can either of you tell me about the HSFY course - as in whether you're enjoying it and stuff? Thanks
oh and [MENTION=9988]cathay808[/MENTION]... just on ur personal experience, how hard is it to get those averages in Health Science?

 

[frootloop]

On a general note - can either of you tell me about the HSFY course - as in whether you're enjoying it and stuff? Thanks

I'm writing a several-page blog on that tonight. Watch this space.

 

[Cathay]

On a general note - can either of you tell me about the HSFY course - as in whether you're enjoying it and stuff? Thanks

For starters, there's a sticky thread that'll give you a hint of things: https://www.medstudentsonline.com.au/showthread.php/19379-HSFY-advice-from-MSO-members.

 

[Ben]

@cathay808 , thanks for that yep lol I will look, I was just hoping someone would be able to sum it up for me now, I was planning to do all the research after my hsc finishes, so yea... sorry to be a bother! :/
@frootloop , thanks for that!
On a general note - can either of you tell me about the HSFY course - as in whether you're enjoying it and stuff? Thanks
oh and @cathay808 ... just on ur personal experience, how hard is it to get those averages in Health Science?

I'm writing a several-page blog on that tonight. Watch this space.

Or if it's shorter, read any of the HSFY year threads, lol. I'm sure someone will try and sum it up for you though..

 

[Nimbus2000]

I'm writing a several-page blog on that tonight. Watch this space.

GREAT! thanks a heap

 

[Hebros]

Ok, so what did you guys think of Epi? I found it pretty damn hard. Couldn't even start on 3 questions. Ran out of time.:cry: